The Storm
by Hogan 51
Summary: A relaxing hiking trip takes a scary turn for Mike and Marco when one of them is injured during a storm and the other has to go back for help. COMPLETE!
1. 1

_Author's Note: The majority of this story takes place in the Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness, which is deep in the Santa Monica Mountains. UPDATED 12-26-2012._

_Disclaimer: Emergency! and its characters belong to someone else. No profit was made in the writing of this story._

**The Storm**

**1**

A long and tiring workday was coming to an end for the men of Station 51 and not too soon for Mike Stoker who had plans for a weekend getaway by himself where he could relax and unwind.

Hanging his work shirt in his locker, Marco glanced over at the station's Engineer. "So where exactly are you going?"

Sitting on the bench tying his shoe, Mike glanced up at his friend's question. "Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness," he replied. "I used to hike there with my dad when I was a kid and have been there a few time since, though not in awhile. I figured now would be a good time to go back."

"Yeah, I've been there with Joanne and the kids," chimed in Roy as he put on his jacket. "It's a nice place and really peaceful. Joanne and I loved it."

Johnny nodded in agreement. "I've been there a few times too. They have some pretty good trails and not only is it peaceful, it's quiet. When I went, there weren't many people."

"Exactly why I'm going," Mike replied as he stood up and grabbed his jacket. "I could use a quiet, peaceful place with not many people around."

Marco shook his head, closing his locker door. "I hear you on that one. After this shift, I think all of us could use a place like that."

"Speak for yourself, Marco," said Johnny as he headed toward the door. "I got a date and after this shift, I'm looking forward to it."

"With who?" Chet asked, squinting at the paramedic in curiosity.

Johnny grinned at the curly haired fireman. "With a girl," he answered jokingly as he walked out of the locker room.

Roy shook his head as he closed the door to his locker and proceeded toward the door. He stopped and turned toward his three crewmates. "He has a date with Joanne's cousin," he informed, walking out of the locker room and bringing a chuckle to the three men he left behind.

Marco sat down on the bench and put on his shoes. Looking up at Mike, he asked, "Would you mind if I came a long?"

"You don't have anything planned?"

Marco shook his head. "Nope. My parents are flying down to San Francisco for a wedding and my sister is going to be house sitting for them. So not much for me to do this weekend. What do you say?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders. "Sure," he answered. "When can you be ready?"

"I can be ready by tonight."

Mike nodded and headed toward the door. "Alright, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning around seven."

_EMERGENCY!_

The weekend had arrived and with the weather conditions extremely perfect for a hiking trip, Mike and Marco decided to make it a little longer than just a weekend trip and were now on the third day of their hiking expedition which proved to be an ideal one for hiking with clear blue skies, various kinds of birds chirping and not a soul to be seen except for the two hikers making their way steadily down one of the trails of the Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness.

"This is the life," Marco beamed, breathing in the fresh air. "No street noises and no sirens going off. Nothing but clean blue skies and complete solitude. It's too bad that tomorrow is our last day up here."

Mike smiled and nodded in agreement. "I always tell myself that when the time comes for me to retire, this is the kind of place I'm going to move to."

"Nah," Marco replied, waving his friend off. "This is great for getting away, but I could never really move to a place where there weren't many people nearby."

Mike chuckled as he stopped and leaned against a tree. "I guess I'm just tired of living in an apartment building where your neighbors know what time you come home and what time you leave every day."

Marco removed his pack and grabbed his canteen. Taking a sip of the cool water, he nodded. "I know what you mean. I got the same problem, especially with the little old lady that lives across from me. Always has to open her door when I come home and say hello." He shrugged before continuing. "I guess she's just lonely."

Mike was about to answer, when something to the east caught his attention. "We may not have blue skies for long," he observed. "Looks like a storm is heading our way."

Marco squinted, seeing the dark bulgy clouds with flashes of lightening in the distance. "Judging from those clouds, I'd say it will hit in less than an hour."

"If not sooner," Mike said. "It should only take about fifteen or twenty minutes to get back to the car. It would be best if we head back and start again tomorrow morning before we head back home."

Marco nodded in agreement. "I think you're right. There's no telling how bad that storm is going to be and with as dry as it's been, I'd hate to be around any brush that could possibly catch fire."

The two began walking back, both keeping a close eye on the approaching storm. Neither knew for sure if they would make it back to Mike's car before the storm hit, but both did know that if they had any chance of making it out of there safely, heading back to the car was their only option.


	2. 2

_Author's Note: I would like to thank all those who reviewed on the first chapter of this story. I hope everyone enjoys this second chapter just as much as they did the first. Since Christmas Eve is tomorrow and Christmas being on Tuesday, the next update will not be until after Christmas._

**The Storm**

**2**

The two hikers proceeded down the narrow trail as a chilling wind began, blowing dust in their faces and making it difficult for them to see ahead. They had been walking for at least ten minutes and with each passing minute the storm grew stronger.

Marco shielded his eyes from the harsh wind and shook his head. "It's really picking up," he observed. Thunder roared loudly, followed by a bright flash of lightening. Marco looked at Mike and saw that his friend's eyes showed the same amount of concern he was feeling.

"Let's move faster," Mike hollered. "This storm is really getting bad."

Marco nodded in agreement as he and the Engineer began walking at a faster pace, fighting the wind that threatened to push them back. Not too long after, the sky broke loose with a hard and cold rain, drenching the dusty trail that the two were traveling.

Lightening flashed brighter and the thunder roared even louder, causing Mike to turn quickly to eye the brush behind them. The area was dry and the Engineer knew that it was a storm like this that could spark a fire in this kind of terrain.

With Mike's mind on the severe dry conditions, he was startled when he heard Marco call for him to watch out, shortly before his right foot began to slide in the mud, causing him to slip and lose his balance.

"Mike!" Marco yelled as he watched in horror his friend tumbling down the small ravine that lay on the side of the trail.

Mike finally came to a sudden stop, but not before banging up his knee and the left side of his forehead. He could feel the blood dripping down the side of his face and knew that his knee was in no condition to climb back up to the trail.

"Mike!" Marco called as he came running down the ravine, stopping at his friend's side and kneeling down. "Are you alright?"

Mike swallowed and shook his head slightly. "My…My knee," he breathed heavily, still trying to catch his breath after the nasty fall. "It hurts when I move it."

Marco felt Mike's knee, but the storm that raged on made it difficult to tell the amount of damage that had been done. "It doesn't feel broken, but I can't be sure." He glanced up at the rain falling from the sky and then looked back down at his wounded friend. "But I am sure that you can't stay here."

"I don't have a choice," Mike replied painfully. "I can't even get up, much less walk." He took a few deep breaths before continuing. "We're not that far from the car. You're going to have to leave me here and call for help. There's a gas station down the road from the entrance, you can use the phone to call from there."

"Mike…"

"I'll be fine," the engineer assured, cutting the man off. "But I won't unless you hurry."

Marco eyed his friend for a long moment. He looked back up at the rain filled sky, seeing that the rain was slowing down a bit, indicating that just maybe the storm was starting to pass them by. "Alright," he agreed, looking back down at Mike. "I'll get to the gas station, call for help and then come right back. We won't be hard to find."

Mike, filled with pain and exhaustion, could only nod as his friend patted him on the shoulder before taking off to go get help.


	3. 3

_Author's Note: Again, thanks to all who have reviewed and PM'd me about this story. This is my first multiple chapter story for this fandom, so I am very happy that everyone is enjoying it. The inspirations for this particular chapter were a few episodes where we see the paramedics surrounded by a brushfire. The next update will be posted sometime tomorrow._

**The Storm**

**3**

"I'm telling you Roy, ya gotta warn me about these cousins of Joanne's," Johnny complained as he and his partner walked into the recreation room at the station.

Opening the refrigerator, Roy turned toward Johnny with a wrinkled brow. "What was there to warn you about?" He asked. "Miranda is a very nice and very pretty young lady."

"Yeah, I know," Johnny agreed. "She's perfect."

"Then what's the problem?" Roy asked, his confusion growing by the minute. He was always able to read his partner when it came to anything else, but when it came to woman, he always seemed to become lost very easily.

"There's no problem," Johnny replied. "I just wish you would have told me how perfect she is," he explained. "I'll be honest; I was expecting a real dog."

Roy shook his head at Johnny's confession. "You're unbelievable. You know that?" He walked around his partner just as the phone rang. Knowing that Johnny was about to ask the reason behind his comment, Roy quickly grabbed the phone before his partner had a chance to speak. "Station 51. Fireman Desoto," he answered.

"Roy," a familiar voice came through from the other end. "It's me, Marco."

"Hey Marco," Roy greeted. "How's the hiking trip going?" He asked, shortly before his relaxed features turned serious while he listened to Marco explain to him what had happened.

"He's still out there," Marco concluded to the paramedic. "I didn't want to leave him alone, but I didn't have a choice."

"Okay, Marco," Roy began. "I'll inform Cap of what's happened so he can call it in. You go back to Mike and stay with him. I have a good idea of where he's at, so it won't be too hard to find. I promise we'll be there as quickly as possible. Just try to keep not only yourself calm, but Mike as well since we don't know the full extent of his injuries."

Marco nodded his understanding. "Alright Roy, but hurry!"

Roy hung up the phone and looked at his partner, seeing that he wasn't only confused, but worried. "There's been an accident," he informed Johnny. "Mike's hurt," he said as he turned and left he recreation room, heading toward Captain Stanley's office.

_EMERGENCY!_

The rain began to slow, much to Mike's relief. He knew he wasn't out of danger, but he did know that with the easing rain, it would make it easier for the rescue personal that would, hopefully, soon arrive.

Mike tried to move his knee again, only to have pain shoot up throughout his body. He agreed with Marco about his knee not feeling broken, but that still didn't make the pain any better to deal with.

A loud clash of thunder followed by a bright flash of lightening brought the engineer out of his thoughts. Even though the rain was easing, Mike noticed that the raging thunder and lightening were not.

Mike wiped the rainwater from his face just as another flash of lightening lit up the sky. This time, however, he noticed something different. Followed by the lightening was the sound of a spark and the engineer knew that his worst fear had become a reality when he began to smell burning brush.

Looking around him on each side, Mike finally caught a glimpse of the rising smoke. His gut turned with fear as he realized that his situation had just become a lot worse. The fire was not only right down the trail and blocking the entrance to the Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness, but was also heading in his direction. With his knee being in the shape that it was, Mike knew that there was no way for him to get out of the fire's blazing path.


	4. 4

_Author's Note: I would like to thank two of my reviewers who pointed out a little mishap I, unintentionally did in an earlier chapter. I was asked if more time had past since when Marco calls the station in chapter 3, Roy, Johnny and Cap are at the station on duty. The answer to that question is yes. In the later half of chapter 1, I originally had it that Marco and Mike talk about how they ended up taking more time than just the weekend and were now on their 2nd to the last day of their hiking trip. However, before that chapter was posted I went back in and re-wrote a part of that particular section and totally forgot to add that information back in. My sincere apologies for any confusion this mishap has caused. I have gone back into chapter 1 and reworked the later half of it so that this information is back in the story and will prevent further confusion. Again, my sincere apologies and thanks to those two reviewers who brought this to my attention._**  
**

**The Storm**

**4**

Marco drove as quickly as legally possible back to the Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness. He noticed at the gas station that the rain had started to slow down and was even more relieved now when he saw that the rain was beginning to stop.

His relief, however, was short lived. Pulling up to the entrance, Marco saw the smoke and the small brushfire that had ignited the trail that led to his injured friend.

"I called it in," said a man running up to Marco. "They should be here soon."

"They had better," Marco replied worriedly. "I just got back from the gas station where I called the paramedics. I have a friend down the trail who was injured in a fall."

"Down this trail here?" The man asked, deeply concerned at this unexpected news.

Marco nodded. "That's right," he answered, eyeing the blazing fire. "About a mile down."

"Well I don't think it's gotten that far since it just started within the last few minutes and if the fire department gets here as soon as they said, maybe there's a chance it won't get that far and your friend will be safe. How bad is he hurt? I mean, do you think he can get out of the fire's path?"

Marco's gut turned at the man's question. Since seeing the fire, he had already pondered the idea in his mind and knew that even if Mike could manage to move, it wouldn't be fast enough for him to get to safety. "No," he answered, just above a whisper full of worry. "That's why I had to leave him when I called for help. He fell into a ravine and hurt his knee - there's no way he could get out of the way on his own."

_EMERGENCY!_

Though the fire itself was a good distance from Mike, the smoke had made its way to the injured engineer, making him cough repeatedly, which only caused him even more pain.

Mike knew that surely by now Marco had returned to the entrance and was aware of the fire. He also knew that if in fact Marco was at the entrance, then that meant help was on the way.

But what worried the injured man wasn't the fire, but instead the smoke. Since it had already made its way to him and was causing him to cough, Mike worried that in his injured state, he could succumb to the smoke before help arrived.

Mike braced himself for what he knew would be an extremely painful experience, but he also knew it had to be done. He sat up, wincing as he did and painfully reached over to his pack that had fallen off during the fall. Grabbing hold of the bag, he opened it and took out a red bandana, using it to mask his nose and mouth from the smoke.

Mike examined the other contents of his bag and saw his first aide kit. He took it out and opened the small box, revealing small square bandages that Mike knew would be sufficient for his head wound. Grabbing his canteen and dabbing some of the water onto a piece of tissue, Mike then placed the bandage onto his cut forehead.

The engineer shook his head slowly as he put the first aide box back into his pack. He or Marco should have cleaned and covered the head wound right after the fall, but with neither of them being paramedics or constant dedicated hikers, they both forgot about the simple first aide procedure. Instead, the only thing that was on both of their minds was getting help to get out there.

The increasing sound of sirens brought Mike out of his thoughts. He looked up and was relieved to see the flashing lights in the distance, knowing that help was just moments away from the entrance.

Lying back down, Mike swallowed. Despite the fact that emergency personal had made it to the entrance, he knew that it would still be awhile yet before he was helped since the rescue personal had to get through the fire in order to get to him.

_EMERGENCY!_

"Cap!" Marco yelled, running over to the station 51 engine crew as they pulled up. "I didn't know about the fire when I called," he said breathlessly. "According to a witness it just started about ten minutes ago. With Mike's hurt knee, even if he could manage to move, I doubt it'll be fast enough to get out of the fire's way."

Captain Stanley watched the fire as his heart sank. He had seen this before in the past - hikers or campers being stuck in the middle of a brushfire. As he stared at the rising flames, he knew deep down that the odds of getting to Mike on time were extremely slim.


	5. 5

**The Storm**

**5**

Marco sat next to the squad and shook his head somberly as he watched his fellow fire fighters battle the raging brushfire that threatened the life of his injured friend out there on the trail. He didn't know what shape Mike was in now, or if he was even still alive. The only thing he could do was wait - something he was finding extremely difficult to do.

"Marco," Roy said as he approached. "You alright?"

"I shouldn't have left him, Roy," Marco answered guiltily. "I should have helped him to the car." He rested his head in his hands before continuing. "Now because of me, he may die."

Roy patted his friend on the shoulder. He knew how the man felt and knew that if it had been Johnny out there, he would probably feel the same way. "He's not going to die, Marco," the paramedic assured. "Mike's been in this job a long time and knows how to survive in a dangerous situation, especially when there's a fire involved."

Marco thought about what the man said and nodded. Mike was a very resourceful person and he realized that if anyone could survive being injured in the middle of a brushfire, it was Mike Stoker. Marco looked up at Roy and gave a slight smile. "Thanks," he replied. He looked over toward the trail. "How are they doing?" He asked, referring to his crewmates fighting the blaze.

Roy turned toward Marco and nodded. "The ground is still wet from the storm which is what's preventing the fire from spreading faster. We have a water-chopper on the way and Cap believes that once it drops the water, me and Johnny should have a safe passage through to Mike."

Marco looked up at Roy at this statement. "Roy, let me go with you when you go. I know exactly where I left Mike."

Roy thought about this for a moment and then nodded. "I'll talk to Cap about it," he said as he turned and headed toward his fellow crewmates battling the fire.

Marco looked on, praying that out there on the trail his friend was alright. "Hold on, Mike," he said softly to himself. "Just a little while longer and then you'll be safe."

_EMERGENCY!_

Mike struggled to keep his heavy eyes open, shaking his head every now and then to remain awake. The smoke had become heavier, but the fire was still kept at a distance and Mike could hear the splashing water from the engine's hoses battling the fire and knew that help was getting closer. He didn't know how close the fire fighters were, but he did know that he had to do everything he could in order to stay awake until they arrived.

Mike sat up the best he could and reached for his pack again. Opening the bag, he took out his canteen and tilted his head backwards, ready for the water to touch his dry mouth. The water, however, never came - the canteen was empty.

Putting it back in his sack, Mike looked toward the scorching blaze. He knew he had to get out of its path, but he also knew that to attempt it would be extremely painful. Still, he knew it had to be done if he was to survive until help arrived.

Mike took a deep breath as he braced himself for what was to come. After a few minutes, he slowly pushed himself backwards and away from the fire, biting his lip in pain as he did.

A few inches was all Mike could manage and he found himself once again on his back, breathing heavily from the extreme pain that moving those few inches had brought him. He swallowed and looked over toward the fire, knowing that there was no way he could move away from it again and that his only chance of survival lay with the fire fighters making it to him before the fire did.


	6. 6

_Author's Note: I am having problems with sending private messages right now, so I would like to thank all those who have been reviewing - I appreciate the feedback very much and am so happy that everyone has been enjoying the story. _

**The Storm**

**6**

"Cap," Chet said as he approached his captain and walked with him to the side. "We got a small passage around the fire where Roy and Johnny can get through to Mike."

"That's great news, pal…" Cap began to say when Chet cut him off.

"But we don't know if we can keep that passage open long enough for them go get Mike safely back to this side," Chet finished. "The fire's weakening, but it's still strong. It won't take much for it to catch in that spot again."

Cap pondered what the younger man had said, realizing the risk of sending his two paramedics in after Mike. "I thought the water-chopper would have been here by now," he confessed. "Mike's been over there long enough. We can't wait for the chopper any more. I'll tell Roy and Johnny to get ready to head over and get Mike as quickly, but as safely as possible. Just do your best to keep that passage open long enough for them to get through and then back again."

Chet nodded and turned back toward his fellow fire fighters that were battling the fire as Cap rushed over to Roy, Johnny and Marco.

_EMERGENCY!_

"If Mike can hold out, wait to treat him until you get him back over here," Cap instructed his three men while they got ready to mount their rescue.

Roy nodded in understanding. "We know what to do, Cap," he assured. "From what Marco's told us, waiting to treat Mike until we're back at the squad shouldn't be a problem."

The three men began heading toward the trail. They didn't know what they would find on the other end when they got to their injured crewmate, but they all agreed that no matter what they found, it would be well worth the risks that each of them faced if it meant getting Mike back to safety.

_EMERGENCY!_

Mike had once again started coughing, even with the bandana covering his nose and mouth. This time, however the coughs were much more constant and aggressive, causing his chest to ache. Taking a few deep breaths, Mike tried to calm his breathing when he started to hear a familiar voice, which was soon followed by two familiar voices.

"Mike!" Roy called out as he, Johnny and Marco ran to the injured man and knelt down by his side.

"I'm … I'm glad to see you guys," Mike said weakly. He was a little surprised to see his friends, especially knowing that the fire was still raging. "How'd you get past the fire?"

"The guys managed to get a passage for us to go around it," Marco explained. "But Cap doesn't know for how long they can keep that passage open, so we gotta hurry."

Roy examined Mike, eyeing the engineer as he did. "Mike, do you feel any pain other than your knee?" When Mike shook his head, he continued. "You're not having any problems with your back or neck?"

"No," Mike replied. "Just my head and my knee."

"Alright," Roy replied. "Then lets get you out of here."

Mike nodded as the two paramedics slowly helped him up. "I won't argue with that," he said, wincing in pain. "I feel terrible."

"I looked at his knee," Johnny told Roy. "It's not broken, but it is badly twisted. It's going to be painful, but with our help he should be able to walk out of here."

Roy nodded and looked over at Mike's pale and pained face. He knew the engineer was in a bad way due to the pain and knew that the faster they got him out of there, the better. "Alright," he said. "Let's go."

The pain was excruciating as Mike limped down the trail with the help of his crewmates, but he knew that he would have to deal with it if he wanted to get out of there and back to safety. The fact that he was surrounded by his three friends and on his way out of there did, however, make the pain a lot easier to deal with.


	7. 7

_Author's Note: I would like to thank every one who has reviewed or PM'd me about this story. Since it is my first multiple chapter story for Emergency, I am extremely happy that it has been enjoyed so much by so many. Sadly, this is the final chapter and I hope that you all enjoy it as much as you have the rest of the story. Once again, thank you all so much for the great feedback!_

**The Storm**

**7**

"Almost there, Mike. You're going to be alright," Roy assured the exhausted engineer as they approached the squad and gently helped the injured man on the ground, leaning him against the base of the rescue vehicle. It wasn't a long trek to the entrance, but for Mike it seemed like he had walked on his wounded knee for miles and he was now more than ready to sit down.

Cap rushed over to them and knelt down, eying Mike closely. "How is he?" He asked, turning his attention to Roy.

"He's in a lot of pain, Cap," Roy replied. "His knee is twisted and he's got a head wound that started causing him to become dizzy and nauseous as we were heading back. What's the ETA on the ambulance?"

"It should be here within two or three minutes," the captain answered. "I also got on the radio and notified Rampart of our situation and that you were bringing Mike in. I gave them what Marco told us earlier about Mike's injuries." He looked at Mike and patted the younger man on the shoulder. "How you feeling, Pal?"

Mike gave a slight smile; one that Cap knew was forced. "I'm okay, Cap," he replied tiredly as he rested his head on the squad and closed his eyes.

"Mike," Johnny said calmly. "You need to stay awake," he ordered softly. "We don't want to take any chances with a head wound."

"I'm tired," Mike mumbled as he slowly shook his head, trying to keep his eyes open.

"I know you are, Mike," Roy chimed in. "But try to stay awake until we get you to the hospital. It won't be much longer - I promise."

_EMERGENCY!_

Cap and Chet entered the break room at Rampart General and saw Marco sitting down at the table in the center of the room drinking a cup of coffee.

"Marco," Cap greeted as he approached. "How's Mike?"

Marco rested the mug on the table and shook his head. "I don't know yet, Cap," he answered. "Roy and Johnny are with him in treatment room two with Doctor Brackett. Dixie McCall told me to wait in here."

Cap sat down across from Marco and nodded. "Yeah, that's what she told me and Chet when we got here."

Marco looked at both men and then back at Cap. "Who's been filling in for me and Mike?" He wondered.

"Jake Taper and Carlos Gribosky," Chet answered. "They decided to wait outside with the engine."

Marco nodded in understanding as he took another sip from his coffee. He put the mug down and took a deep sigh. "I thought for sure they would have let me know something by now," he confessed.

"How was Mike on the way here?" Cap asked.

Marco shook his head. "Not good," he answered somberly. "He really wanted to sleep and was in a lot of pain. To top it off he started coughing real bad - so much so that he started to have trouble breathing. Roy had to put an oxygen mask on him."

"He'd been out in that rain for at least an hour and in the mist of that smoke for almost just as long," Cap reasoned. "It's no surprise he'd be sick."

Marco nodded in agreement, but remained silent as he stared down at his hands. He looked back up at Cap and then shook his head. "It was my idea to make the trip longer," he informed his captain and crewmate. "None of this would have happened had we kept to our original plan on just a weekend hike."

"Marco, this wasn't your fault," Cap replied softly. "No one expected this to happen and the storm wasn't supposed to be as bad as it was." He thought for a moment before continuing. "And there was no way you could have stopped that fire. Whether or not you and Mike were there, the lightening from the storm still would have ignited that fire."

"He's right, Marco," Chet chimed in, walking a little closer to his friend. "There was nothing that you or Mike could have done to prevent any of this."

"What's important right now is that both you and Mike are safe," Cap concluded.

Thinking on what his two friends had said, Marco nodded, realizing that just like Roy was before when he gave him a similar speech, Cap and Chet were right now. Blaming himself wasn't going to redo what happened and it wasn't going to help Mike - he realized that now. "Thanks guys," he finally said.

Just then the door to the break room opened with Doctor Brackett, Roy and Johnny entering the room.

"How's Mike?" Marco asked before either of the men had a chance to say anything.

Brackett smiled and nodded. "He's going to be alright. As you already know, he has a severely twisted knee and a concussion to go along with it. He's sick from the rain and smoke, but it's nothing that a few days here in bed shouldn't fix."

Sighs of relief echoed the room at this announcement. Cap looked at Marco and smiled. "You see, I told you everything would be alright."

"Needless to say Mike's pretty lucky," Roy said as he leaned against the wall and looked at each of his crewmates. "He helped himself a lot by covering his nose and mouth with that bandana - his lungs could have been a lot worse if he hadn't."

Marco thought about the events that had occurred that day and realized that Roy was right about how lucky Mike was to still be alive. Mike had been a fire fighter for many years and during all those years, he had encountered many close calls, but none of which had come as close to the one he had that day and all because of a simple, but deadly storm.

_THE END_


End file.
